


In the House of Death

by LaEmperatrizMariana



Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Body Horror, Cosmic Rust, Gen, Plague
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-08
Updated: 2016-09-08
Packaged: 2018-08-13 05:37:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7964545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaEmperatrizMariana/pseuds/LaEmperatrizMariana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During the Great War, a team of Autobot explorers land on the planet of Antilla. Their mission was to locate a sample of Cosmic Rust and to perform some archaeology on the now abandoned colony. They make several unexpected discoveries and learn things they were better off not thinking about.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In the House of Death

**Author's Note:**

> Beta-read by: [KinkStone](http://archiveofourown.org/users/KinkStone/profile).
> 
> This was an unexpected story! It was something that came to mind this past Labor Day weekend. 
> 
> I have no idea why I felt like writing my own take on that G1 episode about the Cosmic Rust, but I just went with it. I tried to choose a crew of Autobots that I don't see a lot of stuff for, just to give them the spotlight for a bit. I hope you enjoy! 
> 
> **This is set in my own personal TF AU.**

There were rumors that the Decepticons were turning to bioterrorism in order to win the war. One of the rumors stated that they had acquired a sample of a deadly disease known as Cosmic Rust. A team of Autobot explorers was dispatched to the planet of Antilla to locate a sample. There was once a Cybertronian colony on Antilla but it was wiped out by this disease. The explorers were prepared and wore protective suits when entering the planet. Although many solar cycles had passed since the disease spread, the nanites that caused it can survive outside of the host for indefinite periods of time. Antilla was an arid sandy land, blowing with chilling winds. Dry and desolate, it was difficult to believe a once thriving community flourished here.

Aside from recovering a sample, the explorers wanted to conduct some archeology. There is little known about the Antillans since most concrete information pertaining to them has been lost through time. The only existing accounts have been recorded by other races who traded with them. The Antillans were described as “docile and friendly riddlers compared to their belligerent Cybertronian brethren.” They were said to have been more technologically advanced than the other Cybertronians of that era. However, with all their advancements they couldn’t save themselves from the Cosmic Rust. The origins of the Cosmic Rust pandemic remain unknown, but they wiped out the entire population. News of their extinction affected all that traded with them. Haunted by the scale of the pandemic, no one (neither Cybertronian or otherwise) dared to step foot on Antilla. Only because of the rumors of an imminent crisis was there a team of Autobot explorers risking it all by landing on Antilla.

Trailbreaker, Hardhead, Windcharger and Blurr, where some of these explorers. They continued to search for the colony. Their maps said they were getting closer. Meanwhile, Grapple continued to keep in contact with the explorers inside the ship and analyzed their findings. Hoist was preparing his laboratory to store the sample. Duros, Hardhead’s Nebulan partner, was in his room sleeping. After finishing up, he sat next to Grapple in the control room. Hoist noticed that Grapple was a bit tense and asked, “What’s the matter?”

Analysing the data, Grapple asked, “Did you really think it was a good idea to step foot on Antilla? I hate to say this but it gives me the creeps! It’s like a place that should just be left alone, you know?”

“But this must be done,” replied Hoist, “We need a sample in order to create an antidote. This risk, albeit small because of precautions, is worthwhile for the greater good.”

Comforted, Grapple continued to monitor the explorers.

The explorers finally arrived on the outskirts of the colony. The buildings were intact, although they appeared to have been worn by the elements. There was an unsettling silence as soon as the winds stood still. The colony in Antilla had once been a thriving merchant community that was reduced to an empty ghost town.

In the entrance of the colony, there was a large monolith with inscriptions written in a primitive form of Neocybex. Neocybex was the preferred language of merchants since it was easier for non-Cybertronian races, organics in particular, to learn and understand it. In recent times, everyone on Cybertron was required to learn it and their original language -- Primal Vernacular, fell into disuse. Today, many modern Cybertronians speak Neocybex and don’t know Primal Vernacular.

There was a primitive control panel beneath the monolith and there were signs it had been used. Fingerprints were visible on the dusty controls. With his magnetic powers, Windcharger activated the switches from afar, just in case it was a trap. He activated the control panel and a light shined from atop the monolith. Before them, appeared a hologram of a colony leader. He carried a staff on his right and had a regal demeanor, but his body was covered with large patches of rust.

The hologram spoke, his voice was weary and hoarse, “If Cybertron be your home, far away never roam. Hear my message, listen and fear. Danger comes, the end is near! Just like us, you soon will rust. All shall be turned to dust.”

The hologram faded away before they had a chance to answer. Thinking fast, Windcharger downloaded the message into a compatible disk that he sent to the control panel with his powers. They were already aware of the colonists’ fate and were prepared for the worst.

In awe, Blurr gasped, “Wow, and I thought magnets were dangerous around electronics!”

Windcharger chuckled, “They can be but I’m an outlier and I’ve honed my abilities. That’s why they sent me down here. That way we we’d keep contamination to a minimum. Teebs and Hardhead are our muscle just in case anything gets out of hand. And you...not sure yet.”

Trailbreaker was flattered, but he was terrified. The hologram’s message only made things worse. He tried his best to remain calm. To comfort himself, Trailbreaker turned on his lifeforce scanner. There was no one else but them and some small harmless native fauna. That still didn’t sway his apprehension; if someone had arrived and touched the controls, they could still be there somewhere.

Looking around, Blurr said, “I don’t know about the rest of you, but this place makes me sad. It reminds me so much of Ibex but…” Blurr shook his head. “This looked like it was such a nice place to live and a safe place to work. The way Cybertron should’ve been. It’s tragic that it met its end just like this.”

“I get what you’re saying,” replied Hardhead, “to me, this place looks as if time stood still. It’s the most perfectly preserved Fourth Era city I’ve ever seen. That reminds me, I gotta take photos.” Hardhead took photos of the city with his disposable camera. The photos were uploaded to the cloud storage onboard their ship.

Trailbreaker’s lifeforce scanner began to beep. Something was approaching them from a northwesterly direction, but hid in the shadows.  

Upset, Blurr cried, “I thought you said this place was deserted!”

“Calm down, it’s probably the winds,” scoffed Hardhead, who aimed his gun towards the direction of the lifeform.

From a nearby alley, an orange sparkling, who appeared to be 4 or 5 solar cycles old, darted towards them. Crying, he clung to Blurr’s leg. Gathering all his strength, the sparkling said to Blurr, “Mama! Mama! I can’t stop crying! People in the colony have been dying! Bits of flesh fall from their hands and face, little by little ‘til they’re gone without a trace!” The sparkling trembled in fear.

Concerned about the ominous words, Trailbreaker radioed Grapple. “We just found a small sparkling not wearing protective gear. We need you to take him onboard to have him checked out. He also just called Blur, ‘Mama’.”

Grapple’s eyes widened and he hurried to pinpoint their exact location. Hoist overheard the entire conversation and started the decontamination protocols. Grapple bridged back Blurr with the sparkling still attached to his leg. They entered the decontamination center and Hoist spoke from the speakers, “Blurr, please tell your son to let go. We’re not going to hurt him. We just want to assess him and make sure he’s not sick.”

With an uneasy grin, Blurr said, “Please let me go. Hoist is nice and he wants to see if you’re okay. I’ll be there with you.” The sparkling reluctantly let go of Blurr’s leg. Blurr held the sparkling’s hand and took him to the quarantine room. Blurr then said, “Please wait here.”

The sparkling nodded as Blurr went back to the decontamination room and unsuited. Hoist turned on the steam setting and autoclaved Blurr. Blurr scanned himself and he was uncontaminated. Leaving the room, Blurr went up to Hoist and both of them looked at the sparkling through a window. The sparkling ran up to Blurr, with a bright smile on his face. He mouthed, “I’m so happy you returned! I have so many things I want to show you that I’ve just learned.” The sparkling pulled out a crude handmade slingshot.

Blurr couldn’t help but smile back. Hoist suited up and entered the quarantine room with the sparkling. The sparkling was nervous but not as frightened since his “carrier” was keeping watch. Hoist scanned the sparkling but his scanner had a difficult time reading his vitals. Hoist decided to take them manually. The sparkling was only a bit dehydrated, but otherwise in good health.

“What’s your name, little one?” asked Hoist.

“Wheelie is my name,” said the sparkling, “Didn’t my carrier tell you the same?”

Hoist nodded and asked, “Where do you live?”

“I live far beyond the hills, in a plain dotted with windmills,” replied Wheelie, “Mama got sick and wouldn’t came back. Then one day, I was picked up by a bot named ‘Jack’. He took me to a building with dozens of coffins. When I was confused, he told me ‘This is where we put all the orphans.’” Wheelie looked at Blurr and added, “‘I am not an orphan, my carrier is alive!’ I said. Jack frowned and told me my carrier was dead. Before I even had a chance to squeal, he locked me in the coffin and made sure it was sealed. The coffin was cold and grew colder. Closing my eyes and hoped this would all be over.”

Hoist got his disposable walkie-talkie, “Grapple, tell the others to locate the cryochambers and can you send some water to quarantine room #3?” A disposable water container came out of the chute. Hoist opened it and handed it over to Wheelie, so he could drink.

As Wheelie drank from the container, Hoist changed the settings on his scanner and scanned Wheelie again before leaving the room. Wheelie had no signs of illness, but he still needed monitoring as a precaution. He walked over to Blurr, “Get him some lunch and put on another suit to be in there with him. He seems pretty convinced you’re his carrier, just play along and see what you can get out of him. It might help us figure out what happened.”

Blurr got a disposable lunch kit and went into the quarantine room with Wheelie. Wheelie hugged Blurr and took the lunch kit. He was so hungry he just grabbed the food with his bare hands and started stuffing himself. Blurr sat next to him and watched him eat. Like the others, although he found Wheelie endearing, he feared the likelihood of him being used as bait. Decepticons never shied away from an opportunity to use their own sparklings in combat. Since Wheelie showed that he trusted Blurr, Blurr searched him for a faction symbol and found nothing. Since Decepticon badges were made out of spark-casings, Blurr opened up Wheelie’s chassis to check. Wheelie’s spark-casing was complete. Wheelie titled his head and looked at Blurr with confusion.

Chuckling nervously, Blurr said, “I just wanted to make sure you didn’t have rust inside of you.”

Windcharger, Trailbreaker, and Hardhead continued without Blurr. Out of curiosity, they looked inside the buildings. There weren’t many belongings left behind. Many Cybertronian items were made of metal and they were disintegrated by the Cosmic Rust too. Items made from other materials, such as certain plastics were unaffected. Windcharger did whatever he could to recover data from computer terminals they encountered.

“This colony dates from like 800 solar cycles ago, towards the middle of the Fourth Era,” said Hardhead taking a good look at the area, “Back in those days, temples were usually built in the most fortified parts of town. I’m pretty sure if they had cryochambers, or any other type of sanctuary, they’d put them inside or near the temple because it’s safe.”

The others agreed with Hardhead’s hypothesis and traveled towards the central-most fortified part of the city. There was the temple up ahead, as expected. Taking a gamble, Windcharger and Trailbreaker decided to combine their powers. Trailbreaker generated a forcefield around the three of them and Windcharger used his magnetism to carry them to the entrance of the temple. Meanwhile, Hardhead held on to both of them and made sure they were okay.

When they entered the temple, they were in shock. It had been plundered and the centerpiece on the altar, a sacred artifact known as the “Lightning Bug” was gone. Fearful, they frantically searched everywhere. There was no sign of a break-in, the thieves just entered the temple and took their time stealing the valuable treasures. Trailbreaker bumped into a pillar and accidentally pressed down on a button. A door appeared from one of the walls.

Hardhead radioed Grapple, “We’re inside the temple and Teebs found a secret room. We’re going to search it to see if there’s any cryochambers in there.” He motioned the others to follow them and turned on his lantern. They went down the flight of stairs and stumbled into dozens of cryochambers. They were primitive in design and resembled glass sarcophagi. All of them were not functional. Upon further inspection they all had short-circuited.

With a disposable brush, Trailbreaker dusted off a nearby cryochamber, and looked through the glass. Inside was a pile of rust with a couple of personal belongings. Trailbreaker hurried to dust off other nearby cryochambers but they were all the same -- nothing but piles of rust and a couple of personal belongings. After finding dozens of cryochambers in this conditions, Trailbreaker tried his best to hold back his tears.

Windcharger approached Trailbreaker to comfort him, but Trailbreaker’s voice broke, “This is one of the worst things I’ve ever seen! You can tell that some of these chambers, like the one next to you, that the freezing didn’t work. The glass is scratched from the inside like they were trying to escape. These people died in agony trapped in there with no way out. That’s a horrible way to go. Not just adults but the kids too. This one over here belonged to a baby.”

Looking around, Hardhead said, “I found a couple of open ones, they’ve got rust piles inside them too. No one survived. Oh wait, there’s an empty one here.” Hardhead found a small wallet near the empty cryochamber and looked through it. There was an ID inside. When he got a closer look, Hardhead moved to cover his mouth. “It’s that sparkling!”

Trailbreaker and Windcharger hurried to see the ID Hardhead had found. It was in fact Wheelie. The ID was dated from about 784 solar cycles ago and had the official crest of the Antillan colony on it. (It was a stylized image of the Lightning Bug.) After identifying all of the deceased, they looked around to see if there were maps to any other cryochambers within the colony. They also found a large storage room with several spark containment units. Unfortunately, the pieces of metal that bound these units had rusted away, allowing for the spark to disappear. According to the information they found written on the walls, there was only one building that housed the cryochambers and Wheelie was apparently the only survivor.

Seeing enough, they took more photos of the temple and asked Grapple to beam them back onboard the ship. After disposing their suits properly, the others discussed what they saw, except for Trailbreaker who went to his room. Alone, Trailbreaker wept. Since the ship wasn’t too big, the others heard Trailbreaker. Grapple motioned Windcharger to take control of the station, as he rushed over to Trailbreaker’s room.

Opening the door and running up him, Grapple cried, “Teebs! What happened?!”

Spooked by Grapple’s sudden appearance, Trailbreaker generated his force-field that surrounded both of them. Embarrassed by the situation, Trailbreaker muttered, “I’m sorry.”

Grapple wrapped his arms around him and petted his head. After calming down a bit, Trailbreaker whispered, “I was not prepared to see those cryochambers. Just the extent of the deaths hit me like a sledgehammer. I try to stay positive but that…I’m just disgusted that the Decepticons are planning on unleashing that kind of horror upon us. Those poor little sparklings…This plague devours people alive! The pain is unimaginable.” Grapple continued to stay with Trailbreaker as he calmed down.

After getting autoclaved, Wheelie was taken to the medibay where Hoist proceeded to draw some blood samples. Wheelie’s blood was a bit reddish-tinged, due to the result of his metabolism which indicated that Wheelie was a young racer. Because Wheelie behaved, Hoist offered Wheelie a sticker. (He was going to wait until he determined Wheelie’s allergies before offering him candy.) Blurr took Wheelie into his room. Wheelie hoped on the bed and waited for Blurr.

Meanwhile, Trailbreaker, Hardhead and Windcharger discussed their findings on Antilla with Grapple, Blurr and Duros. They waited for Windcharger’s data to finish uploading into their drives. Despite their short visit, they found many things.

“While you were taking photos, I looked at the ones uploaded to the cloud,” said Grapple, “Those Antillans had a peculiar writing habit; everything rhymes. No wonder other races called them ‘riddlers’. I thought they called them that because they were being indirect with their negotiations. Look at the photos if you don’t believe me!”

“I don’t need to look at the photos,” said Blurr, rolling his eyes, “that sparkling, Wheelie, _talks_ like that. Like is that a trait of their breed or something? Like I can’t even string two words together that sound the same. After the shock is over, he’s going to figure out I’m not his carrier and then what? Argh! It’s so frustrating! This rhyming has to be a secret attack move or something.”

“Don’t worry about it Blurr,” said Hardhead, “once Hoist greenlights him, I’ll probe him and tell you what you need to know.” Hardhead extended his finger-spikes.

Upset, Trailbreaker asked, “Are you seriously planning on doing that to a little sparkling?!”

“But I’m doing it for science…or archeology…or whatever,” replied Hardhead nonchalantly as he retracted his finger-spikes, “I mean, he’s so young I don’t think he can properly explain his experiences to us. Also the rhyming makes it harder.”

“Well…hopefully, we won’t need to resort to that,” said Blurr nervously, “I have to go. I think Hoist might be finishing up with his labwork.” Blurr hurried to the medibay.

The computer made a gentle chime. It had finished uploading Windcharger’s data. Windcharger said, “Blurr should’ve waited a bit. First thing’s first, we’ve got to ID the victims. This whole thing’s got me pumped, I’ll see what I can do.”

Grapple put his hand on Windcharger’s shoulder, “We should do it tomorrow, it’s been a long day. Better to start this task refreshed than exhausted. Also, we’re having stew for dinner.”

“Your argument is convincing,” replied Windcharger, “I swear, you truly are your carrier’s son, Grapple.”

“Dinner?” asked Duros with a hearty laugh, “It’s pretty much my breakfast!”

Everyone went headed to the dining hall. Blurr and Wheelie were there setting the table. Afterwards, both of them took a seat, as Hoist brought a large platter with bowls of stew. Grapple went over to help and brought a bit of stew in a mug for Wheelie. Everyone ate and enjoyed their dinner, before helping with the clean-up and heading their separate ways.

Blurr went to his room with Wheelie. Unlike the others, Blurr had his own room due to his recent claustrophobic tendencies. Despite his annoying accustomed speech pattern, Wheelie didn’t bother him. Since Blurr was now tasked with being Wheelie’s guardian, he helped Wheelie get ready for bed. He let Wheelie pick out a new toothbrush and told him to get into bed after he finished brushing. Blurr got ready himself and saw Wheelie sitting in bed waiting for him.

“Mama, it’s almost my bedtime!” said Wheelie, “Please read me some stories that rhyme.”

Caught off-guard Blurr chuckled. “I didn’t bring any poetry books. If you want stories, I can tell you about my racing career…”

Wheelie gasped in awe. Blurr laid down in bed next to Wheelie and began to tell him about his early racing days. Wheelie listened attentively as Blurr described what occurred in his races in detail. He pulled out a photo-album from the nightstand and showed Wheelie the photos.

“I thought you were a postal courier and a full-time worrier,” replied Wheelie.

Blurr frowned. Before he could tell Wheelie he was wrong, he noticed that an asteroid passed too close to the ship and jumped out of bed.

“Oh no! Mama please do something! Those are those rocks!” whimpered Wheelie, “The ones that fell from the sky and caused that great pox!” Wheelie covered his face.

Blurr got out his communicator and said, “Wheelie just told me that these asteroids may be contaminated. Based on the reports where there was a meteor shower before the outbreak, we better get out of here.”

“You make a very good argument,” replied Hoist, as he picked up the communicator in his room, “There are microorganisms that colonize planets like this.”

Overhearing their conversation, Duros went to the cockpit. Their original plan was to spend the night in Antilla’s orbit before returning to Cybertron. Since the risk was too great, it was better for them to leave. Well-rested, Duros was ready for the challenge. He nearly avoided two asteroids before leaving the planet behind. This proved to be more interesting that standing guard all night long.

Wheelie noticed that they were leaving and asked, “We’re leaving? Surely you jest! Aren’t we going to rescue the rest?”

Blurr made a pained expression. He looked Wheelie in the eye and said to him, “The only one we found alive was you. It’s too late for the others, I’m…I’m sorry.”

Wheelie covered his face again and started to cry. Blurr got some tissues and started wiping away his tears. Wheelie looked at Blurr and gasped, “Mama, at least you’re here. It’s been so long since you’ve been near.”

Blurr felt immense guilt for lying to Wheelie. However, he couldn’t bear to tell him that his carrier actually died, it would break his little heart. Still, Blurr at least felt some comforting in being honest about the fate of the other colonists. He curled up with Wheelie and went to sleep with him.

Duros activated the ship’s cloaking device as they arrived at a nearby planet. Other races were hostile towards Cybertronians and they needed to purge their ship from any contamination in the atmosphere. Several hours had passed, but it felt like time passed by quickly. Duros was surprised to be joined up by Windcharger, who had quickly recharged. As expected, Duros gave Windcharger his report about landing on the planet.

Windcharger took control as Duros went to fix some instant noodle soup for both of them. They ate together as they looked through the data Windcharger had collected from Antilla. As Duros read an old article relating to the outbreak, Windcharger said, “This was an absolute tragedy. I may not look like it, but I am devastated.”

“Was it really that bad?” asked Duros.

Windcharger showed him the photos they took. Duros covered his mouth in disbelief. There was also some reports from the coroner’s office with photos that Windcharger had downloaded. They were very graphic to look at. Innocent Cybertronians crumbling to pieces while they were still alive and hemorrhaging. The photos failed to depict the agonizing burning sensation and fever caused caused by the oxidation. Duros put away his cup of soup. What he saw took away his appetite. Windcharger continued to eat slowly, he was still upset. With an uneasy smile, Duros asked, “Since we have some time before the others wake up, do you want to play a game?”

“Sure,” said Windcharger as they went to the common area.

They put on their headphones and played a first-person shooter Duros had brought with him. It helped relieve their stress for a bit.

Later that morning, after everyone was better rested, they took off from the planet and resumed their return to Cybertron. It took them a couple of weeks to arrive in Antilla. They had not been anticipating any rescues, but Wheelie wasn’t a strain on their rations. In the meantime, they continued to study what they recovered and ID’ed the victims in the cryochambers. There was a total of 200 people there. The population was small, about 4,000. Based on the various rhyming documents, the cryochambers were a last-ditch effort to preserve the population but it failed too.

However, they did find a recent video footage. After centuries, a security camera at a nearby bakery turned on a few weeks prior to their arrival to record a group of Decepticons carrying large sacks. None of them were wearing protective gear or were recognizable. The footage was fuzzy and just before it got a clear shot, it turned off because the camera had run out of power.

Some of the information Windcharger had retrieved wasn’t about the pandemic. After all, Windcharger tried his best to collect any data he could from the city. Since these files were ancient, by their standards, they took up little memory and that’s why Windcharger managed to collect so much. After making duplicates of the files, they decided to store the copies and study the rest at a later date. Their priority was to study the Cosmic Rust but everything they found in regards to it was disheartening.

In an attempt to cheer up everyone, Trailbreaker said, “I brought some movies, does anyone want to watch? They’re like old comedy films from the Golden Age.”

They watched a movie about incompetent bank robbers who ended up abandoning their evil ways. Wheelie seemed to enjoy them the most because it’s the first time he’d ever seen it. Compared to media of his era, this old movie had gorgeous and believable special-effects. After their much-needed break, they went back to work. Since Blurr’s main job was maintanence, Wheelie helped him with the chores. Blurr was only assigned to the mission, since it was deemed safe. He was still recovering from being crushed into a cube and was still getting used to his rebuilt frame.

“I love your new look,” said Wheelie to Blurr, “it matches the walls in our little nook.”

“Well, blue has always been my favorite color,” replied Blurr, “Yeah, the doctors did a good job rebuilding me, even though they made me look a little too young. I can’t blame them, they referenced off of old photos…” Blurr’s eyes widened and feared he had blown his cover. Trying to cover up his mistake, Blurr said, “That’s another reason I took so long to get back. They weren’t going to let me come back to get you in pieces.”

Satisfied with Blurr’s answer, Wheelie continued to clean the vents. When they finished, Blurr took him to the kitchen and made him some curry. After all, it was on the menu. Due to Antilla being like a melting-pot of multiple cultures, Wheelie was not a stranger to trying different foods he’d never heard of before. As far as he’s concerned, this was a new dish Blurr learned on Cybertron and decided to make for him. Blurr had made enough for everyone and texted the others.

Only Blurr and Wheelie ate, since the others told them they’d get their rations later. Blurr was almost done eating when he received a text from Hardhead. Hardhead stated, “Please bring Wheelie to the medibay, I would like to examine him.”

As promised, Hardhead had decided to perform some mnemosurgery on Wheelie but he was going to do it when Trailbreaker was asleep. Blurr took Wheelie to the medibay. By this time, Wheelie was used to going to the medibay and in fact, was annoyed by it. Blurr hugged Wheelie and said to him, “I gotta go wash the dishes. I’ll come pick you up when they finish, okay?”

Blurr left and went back to the kitchen.

“Why does mama worry?” asked Wheelie to Hoist, “He didn’t even let me finish my curry!”

“You’ll finish it after this, I promise,” said Hoist. He was so quick and gentle that Wheelie, didn’t even noticed that Hoist injected him with a sedative. Hoist sat him on the bed and waited for Wheelie to fall unconscious. He connected him to the monitors and let Hardhead do his work.

Hardhead appeared in Wheelie’s more recent memories. Wheelie was playing outside with a stick, pretending it was a rifle. He understood that Wheelie wanted to be a marksman of some kind.

“Wheelie, they gave me some donuts and cake,” said a familiar voice, “Hurry up and come inside, for Primus’ sake!”

Wheelie ran inside and saw the desserts on the table. Before him, stood a lissome orange mech who beared an uncanny resemblance to Blurr. As Wheelie helped himself to the desserts, the mech went to the living room and sat down. Hardhead followed him. The mech sighed and said to himself, “How can I go on, it’s been but a day? The doctor called so suddenly telling me the sickness took him away.”

The mech covered his face and began to weep. Hardhead felt compelled to comfort him, but before he could do so, he was fast-forwarded to another prominent memory. It was perhaps a couple of weeks afterwards, based on the calendar that hung in the wall.

Wheelie’s carrier covered himself in a blanket, trying his best to hide his rusted plating from Wheelie. Wheelie wanted to hug his carrier, but his carrier pushed him away with a stick. Hardhead could feel Wheelie’s heartbreak; his own carrier denying him physical affection. Although Wheelie was too distraught to understand, Hardhead knew that his carrier wanted to protect him. He could see it in the carrier’s eyes that the act hurt him too. The carrier, barely able to walk, decided to leave Wheelie alone at home. His last words to Wheelie were, “Stay here, I’m going to get help. I’ll get in trouble if they hear a single yelp. Promise me you’ll be quiet by not making a sound. I promise I’ll return soon, so please don’t frown. Do me a favor and wipe those tears from your eye. I want you know I wish you the best and goodbye.”

The memory skipped around a lot, but it seemed that Wheelie was alone at home for about a week. He ate some chips and other things he found in the pantry. He heard a familiar knock on the door and went to answer it. It was a strange mech Wheelie had never seen before. Hardhead had seen him among the files Windcharger had downloaded. Though he couldn’t recall his name, the mech was one of the infection control agents tasked with taking any survivor to the cryochambers.

The mech said to Wheelie, “Your carrier has sent me to fetch you, little one. Hurry up now or our ride will be gone!”

The mech grabbed Wheelie and put a gasmask on him. He took Wheelie to the temple. That was when he introduced himself as Jack and told him that his carrier had died of Cosmic Rust. The mech was quick to lock Wheelie away, because Wheelie was a young racer who could quickly escape from his clutches. Wheelie was terrified and couldn’t believe what he had heard. His carrier had promised him he’d return!

Hardhead was fast-forwarded once more and was startled by the sound of an explosion. The explosion shut off the cryochambers and Wheelie managed to kick his way out of his. He felt something slip out of his subspace but didn’t think of it much. Hardhead noticed it was only his wallet. Wheelie looked around and ran up the stairs. He peeked through the door and saw the Decepticons plundering the temple. They were trying to remove the sacred Lightning Bug, the protective symbol of the colony. They received several bad shocks as they tried moving it around. This in turn, caused the power to go on and off. Eventually, they succeeded. Wheelie watched in horror as they took off with the Lightning Bug. He remembered his carrier telling him to remain silent and didn’t want him to get in trouble. Even with the clear views, Hardhead still didn’t recognize the Decepticons.

After the coast was clear, Wheelie made his way out of the temple and lived on the streets, eating whatever he could find. He had no idea that centuries had passed and that his colony was long forgotten. He tried his best to be brave but he missed his carrier so much. He was alone for those two weeks, until he heard the sound of the hologram being activated. He spied the Autobot explorers from afar with a pair of binoculars he found inside some random house. He finally blew his cover when he heard Blurr speak. To Wheelie, his carrier kept his promise and returned with some help. When Wheelie cried, they were tears of joy and relief.

At that, Hardhead pulled out from Wheelie’s head. He was shaken from the memory. The crushing loneliness Wheelie felt overwhelmed him. Hoist gave him a hug and comforted him. Blurr had entered the room with the curry he had made earlier. After Blurr set the tray on a table, Hardhead grabbed him by the head and whispered, “You must adopt this weird little kid.”

Nervous, Blurr said, “Okay?”

“You have such a strong resemblance to his carrier, it’s not even funny,” said Hardhead, “if your helm was different and you were orange, you’d make a perfect double. Even your voice is the same.” He walked away from Blurr and said, “Those Decepticons we saw on camera where the ones who stole stuff from the temple. I still don’t know who the hell they are. Also, the kid loves donuts and guns. Don’t be surprised if he wants to be a cop when he’s older.”

Hoist continued to monitor Wheelie and Hardhead. Wheelie woke up within seconds and Blurr said to him, “Let’s go finish your meal. Since you’ve been good, how about a donut?”

Wheelie squealed with laughter as he jumped off the bed and walked out of the medibay with Blurr. Hardhead smiled as Hoist went back to work on his experiments. Moments later, Hoist ran back to Hardhead and clasped his hands together, “I just made an important discovery!”

“What is it?” asked Hardhead, hoping that Hoist’s good news would rid him of his terrible feeling.

“Wheelie has developed immunity against Cosmic Rust!” said Hoist, unable to contain his excitement, “He has antibodies for it in his blood. We can be able to find a cure with this. It’s incredible!”

“What about the samples we got?” asked Hardhead.

“We can still study them,” said Hoist, “For right now, I’m going to focus making a vaccine for us. Please tell Grapple to come help me.”

Hardhead went to the cockpit and told Grapple to assist Hoist. Hardhead took over and was accompanied by his partner, Duros. With a smile, Duros said, “In a day or so, we’d be close to Nebulos to refuel.”

Windcharger, who was in there with them asked, “So you’re excited to go back?”

Duros smiled, “Hell no! I like Cybertron better. Besides, I’m just relieved because I don’t have to waste fuel turning on a cloaking device. I guess we can do a little layover, but we have to talk to the others about it.”

“I don’t know,” said Windcharger, “I’m more interested in getting back home. Plus, I’m still paranoid about that plague.” He got out some hand sanitizer and cleaned his hands.

In the meantime, Grapple asked Trailbreaker and Blurr to teach Wheelie the Autobot Code. While Blurr was busy, Trailbreaker sat with Wheelie and read him a comprehensive version of the Autobot Code. Wheelie could barely read and the lack of rhyming words in the text made it more difficult for him. Just as Wheelie was about to give up in frustration, Grapple called them.

“Teebs, Blurr, I need you two to come to the medibay at once,” said Grapple.

Both of them arrived and Hoist explained that for now, they were going to inject them with Wheelie’s antibodies. They agreed and were vaccinated. The rest of the crew was called in for their mandatory vaccinations. Fortunately, there were no negative reactions from the vaccine but it still needed further testing. Afterwards, everyone resumed their activities.

About an hour later, their communicator began to pick up a faint distress signal. It grew clearer as they approached Nebulos. Duros turned on the speakers and said, “We have detected a distress signal. Because of our duty as Autobots, we must investigate it.”

Hardhead added, “Although we're unequipped to help them, we can take them to Nebulos. Both are straight ahead.”

After traveling a dozen kliks, they stumbled upon a damaged Decepticon ship. Its walls were perforated and rusted through. Having been on Antilla, they knew right away that this ship and its crew were infected with Cosmic Rust. It was still moving and getting closer to Nebulos, albeit at a slow pace.

Everyone gathered in the control room to discuss their course of action. Of course, it was the same; rescue and detain any survivors. Then they had to confiscate anything of value or threat to the Autobot Cause. However, due to the risk of infecting the Nebulons, they also had to destroy the ship. Trailbreaker hurried to his room and retrieved one of his inventions. It was a shield enhancement. With it, he planned to use the Decepticon ship's own shield as a containment unit. All they needed was a powerful bomb to disintegrate the ship. It wasn’t a difficult thing to get because both Autobot and Decepticon ships carried plenty of ammo.

Windcharger, Trailbreaker, Duros, and Hardhead, wore their protective suits and beamed on board the Decepticon ship. The ship was about the same size theirs. Trailbreaker pulled out his lifeform scanner. He found that only they and someone on the other side of the ship were the only living beings there. They decided to investigate together, instead of splitting up. They located a storage room and opened it up. There were several valuable Antillan antiquities stored there, including the Lightning Bug.

Recognizing them, Hardhead spoke into his communicator, “Please beam on board the contents of this storage room into quarantine room #5.”

The valuables were beamed up to the Autobot ship. Quarantine room #5 was the most secure part of their ship. Nothing could get in or out. After that, they resumed their search. In the middle of the hallway, they found a Decepticon laying face-down. His body was a deathly gray, covered with large patches of red rust. The explorers walked around him, avoiding any contact with him. As they neared the other side of the ship, they heard a faint anguished cry. “For the love of Primus...”

Recognizing the voice, Windcharger hurried to the cockpit. There, sitting on the pilot's seat was a seeker. His body still retained his colors, despite being corroded away. The seeker could barely see, but he recognized Windcharger too.

“Please...kill me…” gasped the seeker.

“You left me to die when you attacked my squadron, Whisper,” scoffed Windcharger. With a hateful smirk, he added, “I think I should return the favor.”

The other Autobot explorers had caught up to Windcharger. Turning around, Windcharger said to them, “Let's go. There's nothing to see here.”

“No...!” cried Whisper weakly, “I beg you...”

His teammates looked at Windcharger with concern. Feeling guilt for being so petty, Windcharger extended his left hand. With his magnetic powers he ripped out Whisper’s spark and brought it close to them. Trailbreaker generated a small force-field around the spark to contain it. He handed the temporary containment unit to Duros. Trailbreaker and Windcharger worked together to install the shield enhancement onto the ship. Hardhead had run to plant some of his bombs in the engine room and the ammunition storage room. He finished and hurried to stand next to Duros. A couple of minutes later, Windcharger and Trailbreaker finished. They all gathered together and were beamed back to their ship.

Hoist noticed the disembodied spark with them and sent them a spark containment unit. After storing the spark, the disinfection process began.

Wheelie watched from afar with Blurr and Grapple. Before he had a chance to ask, Blurr said, “Just like you, only one person was alive on that ship and we rescued him too. We’re going to move away from their ship now and blow it up so no one else could get infected.”

As Blurr said, Grapple piloted away from the Decepticon ship. When they were at a safe distance, Trailbreaker remotely activated the shielding device. Hardhead waited a couple of seconds before detonating his bombs. The shield made the ship look like a beautiful red glowing orb. Meanwhile, Windcharger was in the medibay with Hoist.

“From what I remember, Whisper was an indigo and black flyer,” said Windcharger. He continued to describe his appearance as Hoist drew a composite sketch.

Although he was a medic, Hoist wasn’t a surgeon and he was unable to rebuild Whisper’s body. But with Windcharger's descriptions, they had enough information to build him a new body.

Suddenly, Grapple got on his communicator, “I don't think we need to go to Nebulos anymore. Our ship's tank is full.” He had noticed this anomaly early on and finally tracked down the source. It was coming from quarantine room #5. He looked at the security camera and saw that the Lightning Bug was emitting a strange glow.

Wheelie looked at the security footage said, “The Lightning Bug made energy and was the heart of the city. So if the ship's full, we can't go to Nebulon, what a pity!”

“Yeah...” replied Grapple, “Maybe we'll go some other time. For now, it’s best of he go straight home.”

The Autobot explorers and their two rescued victims continued on their journey back to Cybertron. Their mission was not what they expected it to be but was successful.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not going to lie, this was the perfect opportunity to write about the fact that Wheelie is _older_ than Kup in this AU. Wheelie is believed to be about 1.6 billion years old in Earth years. He's meant to be like from medieval times, compared to the other "modern" characters. I had a similar theory of how this worked out; Wheelie survived a devastating nuclear catastrophe inside a protective pod. A bit before the story occurs, he is ejected from the pod and has to live out on his own. This version with the Cosmic Rust, worked out a lot better IMHO.
> 
> Windcharger and Whisper were just soldiers who fought each other in a random battle. Since [Whisper](http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Whisper_\(G1\)) isn't as well known as the other Decepticons, that's why the other Autobots didn't know who he was. He was just some random soldier much like his deceased crewmembers. All of them were just bandits hoping to find something of value to present to Megatron, so it could be used against the Autobots. An informant had caught wind of their plans to travel to Antilla and that's were these rumors came about. In a way, this bit of misinformation ultimately saved both Whisper and Wheelie, who probably would've starved to death or died of loneliness. The latter is concerning since sparklings tend to be very attached to their caregivers, especially the ones who only have one parent (like Wheelie).
> 
> As for Blurr feeling guilt about lying to Wheelie, he does end up adopting Wheelie and their bond grows with time. In current Post-War times, Wheelie is no longer like a 4-5 year old, he's like an 11 year old. He has lived more than half his life with Blurr who is now his real parent, like his biological one. He finds out when he's much older that he's adopted. At first he's confused, but later accepts it since everything about his upbringing was sincere. When this is revealed, Blurr is finally free from his guilt.


End file.
